


cabinet man, but a mongoose appears out of nowhere

by I_Am_Not_A_Robot



Series: it's Cryptic Aesthetic (TM) time [3]
Category: Lemon Demon (Musician)
Genre: Arcades, Cryptids, Domestic Fluff, Epic Friendship, Gen, Humor, Lemon Demon, Not Beta Read, made up cm's name myself haha, the arcade owner wasn't prepared for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-11 17:17:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20549816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Am_Not_A_Robot/pseuds/I_Am_Not_A_Robot
Summary: Cameron is minding his own business doing nothing when Gef pays him a surprise visit.





	cabinet man, but a mongoose appears out of nowhere

**Author's Note:**

> these two would be great friends and you can't change my mind

The day was uneventful. Cameron was bored out of his mind, and so very lonely. Barely anyone stopped by to play him- barely anyone had stepped into the arcade at all. Where had everyone gone?

Usually he used the teens as distraction from his thoughts, but with nobody around, Cameron had to sit and think, with only the gentle sound of the wind outside and his own slowly beating heart to keep him company. How had this happened again?

He has a feeling that awhile ago, he was the one playing the video games, not the one _being_ played. Hell, if the organs sitting inside his cabinet have any say in the matter, then that's the logical conclusion, right?

The arcade owner walks through, looking over his collection and picking up what little trash someone might have forgotten. Cameron instantly feels a bit better when some gum is scraped off his skin. It had been bugging him.

And then the door bursts open.

"What the hell?" he hears the arcade owner exclaim. His eyebrows shoot up in disbelief when the thing scampers towards him, and immediately jumps out of the way.

The creature launches itself through the air and lands on Cameron's face, tiny legs outstretched. Cameron shouts.

Thankfully the owner was too preoccupied with finding a broom to hear that.

"Hey, what's up," the creature says, sitting comfortably on his haunches.

"Gef what the actual heck?!"

From the other side of the counter, the two hear the owner frantically talking to someone. "There's this- there's a fricking weasel in the arcade? Look, I don't know where it came from-"

Cameron sighs. "Why."

The moonlight barely catches in a pair of bright orange eyes, twinkling with secrets. "Just thought I'd say hi? We are friends, you know."

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

Gef rolled his eyes. "What's got you so wound up?"

"Well, my intestines are-"

"WAIT! NO! STOP, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THAT!"

On the other side of the counter, the arcade owner goes very pale. His hands shake so hard he drops his phone. He sinks down after it, looking very shaken, and when he's picked it up he bolts for the door.

"Good going, weasel."

"I am a _mongoose_, for your information!" Gef squawks, indignant and offended.

"Alright, well, whatever you are, the owner heard you."

"Wouldn't be the first time. There was this family I stayed with awhile back... crazy household, honestly."

This piqued Cameron's interest. "Why'd you leave?"

Gef looked uncomfortable. "Er... reasons. But I'm not here to talk about my past."

Cameron finally flickered on his screen, a pair of digital eyes peering down at the small spirit sitting on his buttons. "What're you here for, then?"

"Like I said, you deaf toaster. I want to spend time with you! We haven't talked in forever." Gef shifted himself into another position, fluffy tail curling and gently brushing over the cabinet. Cameron sort of wished he could feel how soft Gef's fur was. It _looked_ soft, after all.

Cameron was silent a bit. "Good timing, then. This place has been pretty slow lately. I've been bored out of my mind."

If a mongoose could smile, Gef was definitely doing that now. "Guess you really needed to see me, huh?"

"You're still annoying, but yeah."

Gef laughed. The two fell into a comfortable silence. A few cars passed by, headlights briefly illuminating the closed shop. The owner still hadn't returned. He probably wouldn't for a few days, at best.

The clock on the wall ticked the minutes away.

"Hey, Cam?"

"Yeah?"

"Not to be weird or anything, but can I play you?"

Okay, it was embarrassing how much Cameron wouldn't mind that. "Sure, go ahead," he said, cooling himself before any sparks flew. Still, his screen glitched just the tiniest bit, but Gef didn't seem to notice. Honestly, anything to escape the boredom. Plus, it would be pretty fun to see how Gef fared at the game. "Are you sure you can do this? You're kinda... small."

Glaring, Gef rolled his eyes again. "I've got hands don't I? I've got eyes? I can play this. And win, too."

Cameron chuckled. "Nope, sorry, friend. That's not possible."

"Try me." The small spirit stretched, and then pressed the "Start" button. He had to throw a bit of momentum into his upper body to push the button down, but he did it.

Energy surged through Cameron's veins, a familiar rejuvenating feeling, as his face faded away and gave way to the actual game. Starting up without money always left him out of breath, but Cameron pulled some strings inside himself to let Gef - who had no coins at all - play.

Gef focused intently, passing the first level with ease. "Not so difficult, then?"

"Just you wait," Cameron promised. "It gets harder."

"Whatever you say, Cabinet Man."

Gef never did beat the game, but he got pretty damn close. Cameron was impressed.

But tired.

And so was Gef, apparently, who curled up between the buttons and joystick, tiny head lost in his own fluff.

Cameron's heart stuttered just a bit. Since when had he spent the night with a friend? It was like... a sleepover. Had he been to one of those in the past? Probably. If only he could remember.

Well, Cameron had a sleeping mongoose on him, and he'd better think about the present instead of getting caught up in the past. Doing his best to stay warm (it's late December), Cameron drifted off into sleep himself.

That morning, Cameron woke up to the feeling of tiny paws tapping impatiently on his face. "Rise and shine, toaster!" a soft voice called out.

Cameron cracked open his eyes, a sleepy smile lighting up the screen. "Good morning, weasel."


End file.
